赤裸裸的滑稽故事

They had taken a private plane from an airport two hours outside of Winter that Ashleigh had no idea existed.

While they flew over the snow-covered mountains of Winter, Ashleigh stared out the windows at the clouds and the sky in complete shock and amazement. Never had her home looked so beautiful.

Caleb handed her a bundle of documents, a passport, an identification card, and several other documents she didn’t recognize.

“What is all this?” she asked.

“These are all your travel documents,” he smiled. “Usually, it takes weeks, maybe even months, to get them, but Nessa and Clara make an impressive team.”

Ashleigh turned the documents over in her hands, unsure what she should do with them. She set them down on the table between them.

“Would you like me to hold onto them?” Caleb asked.

Ashleigh glanced up and looked away with a hint of embarrassment.

“I’m just not sure what I am supposed to do with them,” she said quietly.

Caleb smiled.

“It’s ok,” he said, taking her hand in his. “You’ll learn. I hope to take you all over the world throughout our life together. But, for now, I will take care of all the busy work of travel. So you just enjoy the ride.”

Ashleigh smiled and nodded. She turned to look out the window but was surprised and a little disappointed, only seeing a thick blanket of clouds.

“Will this plane take us to the surprise location?” she asked.

“Not completely, no,” he replied. “This private plane will take us to one of the International Airports. We will stop there and change planes for the flight to our final destination.”

“Oh…” she said, then furrowed her brow. “Wait… International Airports… you mean, a human airport?”_.

“Yes,” he nodded.

Ashleigh suddenly felt a surge of excitement and nerves.

Caleb chuckled.

“Is it that exciting?” he asked.

Ashleigh looked away, embarrassed.

“Maybe not for you,” she said. “You’ve met them. Lived and worked with them, made friends… had lovers….”

The last was said with a questioning glance. Caleb cleared his throat and looked away.

Ashleigh rolled her eyes and continued.

“The point is, humans to you are just another part of your life. But for me… I never thought a day would come where I would meet a human.”

“I understand, but they aren’t that different from me and you,” Caleb said.

“Really?” she asked. “Based on the limited tv and movies I’ve seen, if humans visited my pack, they would believe they had traveled back in time.”

Caleb laughed.

“You’re probably right,” he said, “But Summer isn’t too different from normal human society. Well, maybe a bit more organized, well behaved, structured, far less materialistic… what was my point?”

They both laughed.

“Anyway,” Ashleigh sighed. “I’m interested to see what they are like.”

Caleb smiled and looked back at his phone for the confirmation information on their next flight.

She turned and looked out the window. Seeing the sky around them and the sheet of clouds below them was beautiful yet unsatisfying.

“So, how long is this flight to the other airport?” Ashleigh asked.

Caleb looked at his watch.

“We have about two hours left,” he replied.

Ashleigh tilted her head to look past him, where there was an open door.

“I couldn’t help but notice,” she said, licking her lips with a smile. “That there seems to be a bedroom on this plane.”

Caleb smiled and set his phone down to give her his full attention.

“That is true,” he said, his voice a little lower than a moment before.

Ashleigh sat up straight and removed her seat belt. She stood up from her chair and looked down at him.

“The view from my window has gotten boring…” she said in a low and quiet voice. “You should give me a better one.”

Caleb let out a low growl as he quickly removed his seat belt.

Ashleigh giggled as she ran into the bedroom, Caleb hurrying after.

***

The sheer amount of people moving back and forth throughout the terminal was enough to leave Ashleigh shocked. Caleb was holding her hand tightly as they moved through the crowd.

“Ashleigh!” Caleb shouted as he pulled her to him and wrapped his arm at her lower back, holding her pressed against him.

Ashleigh gasped when a loud beep caught her attention. A cart carrying people and luggage passed by right where she had stood just a moment ago with another beep.

“Are you ok?” Caleb asked, turning her chin to look at him.

Ashleigh nodded.

“There’s just a lot of people here,” she said.

“International Airports are always like this, arrivals and departures to and from all over the world,” Caleb said.

Caleb looked around and then drew her attention once more.

“Stay here a minute, ok? I need to check on our flight status. Just stay right here, ok?”

Ashleigh nodded her head. He kissed her briefly and then pulled away from her.

Ashleigh glanced around again, a sea of people all hurrying one way or another. Men in suits, uniforms, some in sweatpants wearing small pillows around their necks. Families, women in dresses, short shorts, even one in a bathing suit.

All around her, she could hear whispers, shouting, crying, screaming. Someone was crying, and someone else was yelling. A little girl was humming. A little boy singing a song about a shark.

The smells around her were equally overwhelming. Sweet, salty, food, body odor, vomit. Cleaning solutions, perfumes, and a metallic smell mingled with fuel and rubber.

Her heart began to race. She clenched her jaw and brought her hands to her ears as the sound felt like it increased.

Beep! Beep! Another of those carts flew by, and Ashleigh backed away, running into someone.

“Hey! Get out of my way, bitch!” an angry woman yelled and shoved her.

Ashleigh turned on her and growled loudly.

The woman gasped and backed away.

Suddenly it all stopped… and all she could hear was the soft thump of his heart. The only scent she could pick up was his. Ashleigh felt the warmth of Caleb’s arms wrap at her waist, and he pulled her in close. She hugged him tightly, laying her head on his shoulder, burrowing her nose against the hollow of his neck, breathing him in.

“Did she fucking growl at me?” the angry woman whispered to her friend as they walked away quickly.

“It can be overwhelming to be around so many new people and things at once,” he whispered. “I’m sorry, I forgot about the sensory overload.”

Ashleigh didn’t respond with words. She only nuzzled against him. Enveloping herself in the comfort of his presence.

Caleb smiled.

“Our flight has been moved to late tomorrow morning. We have a hotel for the night,” he whispered. “Let’s get out of here.”

Ashleigh nodded.

Caleb put his arm around her protectively and guided her towards the exit.

As they left the security checkpoint and passed into baggage claim, Ashleigh’s attention was drawn to a small crowd. They were gathered together, holding signs welcoming someone home and telling them they were loved and missed.

Several group members held balloons, bouquets of flowers, and stuffed animals. It was a varied group of old and young, even a baby in the arms of the woman that seemed to lead them. Yet, they all stood together, watching, and waiting.

They looked toward the door that she and Caleb had come from. Ashleigh felt drawn to join them in their vigil. She watched the doors expectantly, unsure what she was waiting for.

“What are you looking for?” Caleb asked, having finished gathering their bags.

“I’m not sure,” Ashleigh said. “But it feels important.”

Caleb smiled. This side of her was something he hadn’t witnessed before, an innocent curiosity. As long as she wasn’t feeling overwhelmed, he would stay here all day with her and people-watch if she wished.

Finally, a man wearing a uniform of green and tan came through the doors. Ashleigh noticed that he seemed tired. She glanced back at the crowd as she heard a gasp and a cheer. The man stopped in his tracks. A bright smile spread over his face as he saw them and headed towards them.

The woman holding the baby and a small girl, only five or six years old at most, ran towards the man. The crowd behind them went wild, cheering, laughing, and hugging each other as the woman and the child ran into the man’s arms.

Ashleigh watched the happy moment, feeling a warmth blooming in her heart that she didn’t understand. The man, woman, and children returned to the crowd. They all took turns hugging the man.

Ashleigh looked at the faces of all these people, tears and smiles, relief and joy.

“Caleb,” she whispered.

“Hmm?”

“Is this man someone important?” she asked.

Caleb smiled as he watched the soldier returning to his family.

“He’s a hero,” Caleb said. “And for them, he is the most important man in the world.”